Hancock Whitney Corp Grows Stake in UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF)

Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its holdings in UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF - Free Report) by 578.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 54,408 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 46,386 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp owned 0.11% of UMB Financial worth $6,140,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. USA Financial Formulas boosted its position in UMB Financial by 124.7% in the fourth quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 483 shares of the bank's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in UMB Financial by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 555 shares of the bank's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in UMB Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $96,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in UMB Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $103,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in UMB Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $117,000. Institutional investors own 87.78% of the company's stock.

UMB Financial Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of UMBF traded up $1.56 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $97.49. 243,788 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 528,257. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The stock's 50-day moving average is $98.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.50. UMB Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $76.00 and a 12 month high of $129.94. The stock has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 0.71.

UMB Financial (NASDAQ:UMBF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.24. UMB Financial had a return on equity of 13.73% and a net margin of 15.76%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that UMB Financial Co. will post 9.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kevin Charles Gallagher sold 527 shares of UMB Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.13, for a total value of $60,146.51. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,010 shares in the company, valued at $1,484,831.30. The trade was a 3.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO J Mariner Kemper sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.61, for a total transaction of $380,135.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 334,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,313,427.67. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.45% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on UMB Financial from $120.00 to $105.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of UMB Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of UMB Financial in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. They set a "buy" rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price target (down previously from $130.00) on shares of UMB Financial in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on UMB Financial from $139.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.13.

About UMB Financial

UMB Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company that provides banking services and asset servicing in the United States and internationally. The Commercial Banking segment provides commercial loans and credit card; commercial real estate financing; letters of credit; loan syndication, and consultative service; various business solutions including asset-based lending, mezzanine debt, and minority equity investment; and treasury management service, such as depository service, account reconciliation, cash management tool, accounts payable and receivable solution, electronic fund transfer and automated payment, controlled disbursement, lockbox service, and remote deposit capture service.